When it Snows in Montgomery County

When it snows, snow fighters concentrate on keeping the major County roads and
primary neighborhood streets passable. These roads are cleared down to bare
pavement as soon as possible after the storm is over.

Plowing generally begins when snow becomes 3 or more inches deep and the
temperature indicates that there will be no melting. However, when the snow
depth is 3 inches or less and the afternoon sun is melting it, the County lets
the sun do the work, saving you tax dollars. Even after plowing, snow that has
been hard packed by traffic often remains on the street, where the  County plows
are unable to remove it completely. In this situation, a mixture of sand and
salt is spread to provide adequate traction.

After the snow stops falling and after the major County roads and primary
neighborhood streets are cleared, crews concentrate on clearing snow from all
neighborhood streets and sanding as promptly as possible.

What You Can Expect When it Snows

  It takes about 16 hours after the end of a 3 inch snowfall to plow and/or
  treat every County road once.

  After a 10 inch snowfall, you can expect major and primary County roads to be
  cleared within 24 to 36 hours. At that time, one pass should have been made
  through neighborhood streets.

  After a 15 inch snowfall, our crews will complete this work in about 35 to 40
  hours.

  After a 24 inch snowfall, our crews will complete the work in about 48 to 60
  hours.

  However, the type of snow (wet or powdery) and the temperature and wind
  conditions following the storm can alter this schedule.

Please be patient! Streets are plowed according to their priority and reviewed
at the end of each season. Snow fighters work around the clock until all 2,400
miles of County-maintained streets are passable. We will use a force of 200
employees, 175 peices of snow removal equipment, and we have available 35,500
tons of salt and sand to get the job done.

The Department of Public Works & Transportation's Action Plan
  1. Patrols at the start of the storm
  2. Spot salting of bridges and elevated roadways
  3. Full-scale salting of all major County roads (arterial roads connecting
  subdivisions or business districts) and primary neighborhood streets (main
  collector streets through subdivisions)
  4. Plowing of all major County roads
  5. Plowing of all primary neighborhood streets and all other residential
  streets
  6. Spot sanding of hills and intersections on residential streets

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